A few years ago, no one outside of the Latino rock world knew who Juanes was. Sure, he had a great amount of success within that world, but if you were to ask the average gringo about Juanes, he'd look at you funny and say "Who?" Alas, look what a few years has done: Juanes sang a tribute to Elton John at the Grammys, appeared on countless American talk shows, and even made an appearance on Dancing with the Stars! Now, in this week coming up, he'll make a stop on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, making his appearance the first appearance of a Latin American star on the new Tonight Show.  

Despite all of this success, however, Juanes has name recognition, but not the same level of mainstream success as other crossover stars, such as Ricky Martin. Why is that? And, more importantly, who is Juanes?

Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez (born August 9, 1972), better known as Juanes (for the contraction of his first and second name), is a Colombian musician who was a member of the heavy metal band Ekhymosis and is now a solo artist. In 2000, his solo debut album Fíjate Bien won three Latin Grammy Awards. According to his record label, Juanes has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide.

Raised in Medellín, Colombia, Juanes began playing guitar at age seven. At age 15, he started his first band, Ekhymosis, in 1988, achieving recognition in his native Colombia. The track "Sólo" from the album Niño Gigante in 1992 was very popular. In 1997 after the band broke up, Juanes continued solo and in 2000 he released the album, Fíjate Bien, which earned him three Latin Grammys. His follow-up album, Un Dia Normal, was released in 2002 and was later certified platinum in multiple countries throughout Latin America. Juanes' third album, Mi Sangre (2004), which becomes an international bestseller, managing to position well in a number of countries around the world, achieved success due to the single "La Camisa Negra". He has since released La Vida... Es Un Ratico (2007) and P.A.R.C.E. (2010). On May 29, 2012 Juanes released the album Juanes MTV Unplugged.

Altogether, there are several issues that protrude from its wide and varied repertoire. Songs like "Volverte A Ver", "Para Tu Amor", "A Dios Le Pido," "Es Por Ti" and the international hit "La Camisa Negra" (number one in several countries of the world), "Me Enamora" "Yerbatero", "La Señal" among many others, are part of the musical repertoire that has made the singer acknowledged.

According to his label, Universal Music, Juanes has won, among others, twenty Latin Grammy Awards (5 wins in the Grammy Awards on Nov. 13, 2008) and two Grammy Awards. 9 MTV Awards, two NRJ Music Awards, 9 "Premios Lo Nuestro", 9 Our Land Awards, the highest awards possible in the International Song Festival of Viña del Mar (torches silver, silver gull, gold and symbolic) and a long list of awards to across the planet. In December 2009, he was awarded the National Prize for peace in his native Colombia in category honorary, in November 2011, as an artist of the decade chosen by millions of votes, in Shock Awards and Dec. 4, 2011 is awarded Chile Telethon Foundation for the Medal of Solidarity during the final drive of the Chilean solidarity campaign for disabled children attending the institution. Juanes received the BMI President's Award at the 2010 BMI Latin Awards.

Juanes is also known for his humanitarian work, especially with aid for Colombian victims of anti-personnel mines.

On Feb. 1, 2012, Juanes performed an acoustic concert for Juanes live album MTV Unplugged was released in May of that year. The album was released by MTV. 

His greatest hits include "Fijate Bien" (2000), "A Dios Le Pido" (2002), "Es Por Ti" (2002), "La Paga" (2004, featuring The Black Eyed Peas), "Un Día Normal" (2004), "Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor" (2004), "La Camisa Negra" (2005), "A Dios Le Pido" (2005, Re-release) and "Te Busqué" (2006, featuring Nelly Furtado). 

Juanes was born in Carolina del Príncipe, Antioquia, Colombia. When he was seven years old, his father and brothers began to teach him how to play guitar. His passion for the instrument led him to discover diverse genres of music such as traditional Latin sounds such as tango and bachata, as well as Colombian folk music.

He grew up in Medellín during the height of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar's reign, when the city had the highest homicide rate in the world. During his childhood, Juanes witnessed a civil war in which thousands were killed. He was greatly affected by the violence; his cousin was executed by kidnappers, and his close friend was murdered by gunmen. This period of time shaped his social consciousness, saying "Colombia has suffered so much that the only way to go forward is to imagine a better country." His father also died of cancer when he was a child, which caused him to further retreat into music.

As a teenager, Juanes was greatly influenced by metal acts such as Metallica. He started the metal band Ekhymosis in 1988, and it released its self-produced debut album, Niño Gigante, that same year. The band released five studio albums during its career and shared the stage with acts including Alejandro Sanz, Aterciopelados, and Ricky Martin; however in Juanes' words, the band "couldn't get out of Colombia" and remained "very local and confined to the Colombian market." Juanes disbanded the group in 1998 so that he could pursue a solo career. 

Never really comfortable with public adulation, Juanes headed back to Colombia and to his mountain retreat above Medellin which he shares with his wife, Colombian model Karen Martinez and their daughters, Paloma and Luna. He settled in to write more music, but fatigue, notoriety and the hardships of fame took their toll; in May 2007, the tabloids were full of marital strife and the subsequent separation between Juanes and Martinez. The two subsequently got back together and Juanes has been quoted as saying that he found salvation in his music during that trying time.

In 2007, La Vida... es un Ratico was released. The material in the album is a reflection of both his private turmoil and that of Colombia's. In listening to the album, it is clear that the artist had come to terms with what is important in his life -- music, love, family and country.

In 2005, Juanes formed the Fondacion Mi Sangre in order to help the numerous victims of Colombia's anti-personnel landmines; he also organized the hugely successful Colombia Sin Minas Benefit Concert.

Perhaps the most successful and influential Latin music ambassador ever, the Los Angeles Times named Juanes "the single most important figure of the past decade in Latin pop music."

Juanes currently lives in Key Biscayne, Florida.